Friday, November 10

Central Coast Mariners v Sydney FC

Last time they met: The last time these two teams faced of at Bluetongue, it was a five goal thriller. It was two-all after a Scott Galloway strike in the 76th minute. But just a minute later David Carney scored to give Sydney a 3-2 lead and an eventual 3-2 win. Will the Mariners breach the Sky Blues defence with ease again or will Sydney continue their unbeaten run?

What happened last round: Playing the undefeated City up in Melbourne, everyone would have forgiven Sydney had Melbourne continued their run. But Sydney again showed why they are the best Australian Football team as they clinically beat Melbourne 1-0 courtesy of a Luke Wilkshire goal. The game however was soured by an injury to Tim Cahill after a challenge with Jordy Buijs. For the Central Coast they were competing in a bottom of the table affair with Brisbane and the match certainly lived up to it’s billing. Sloppy errors and poor passing was aplenty in this game. However the match did have some controversy attached to it after both sides were robbed of legitimate penalty claims. The affair ended in a boring 0-0 draw.

What should happen: A competitive game of Football. The Mariners are massively improved from last season. Last campaign through their opening five games they had been kept to zero goals twice, that number this season is only one. Paul Okon has done this all for his side through a limited budget as well. However despite their strengths and obvious willingness to play good, competitive Football this campaign, they’re still coming up against the reigning champions. Expect Sydney to win a quality game of Football.

Saturday, November 11

Adelaide United v Newcastle Jets

Last time they met: The last two matches played between these sides have resulted in 1-0 Adelaide wins. In the most recent game the strike came through Marrone in the 63rd minute. While in the other match the only goal was via Carrusca in the 61st minute. Can we expect a similarly tight match this time around or will the floodgates open?

What happened last round: For Adelaide they suffered only their second loss of the campaign as they went down to Perth 1-0. In this match they were incredibly wasteful as they took eighteen shots, but only one was on target. Meanwhile their opponents were much better at shooting the ball, as the Glory had eleven shots, but seven of them were on target. The Jets meanwhile came away with an easy 3-0 win up in Newcastle, beating Wellington. In this match Roy O’Donovan bagged his 6th and 7th goals of the season, from only five games. As a result of the victory, Newcastle now sit comfortably in 3rd place, four points ahead of the 4th placed Wanderers.

What should happen: A draw. From ten combined matches this season, these two clubs have four. As well as this from the past fifteen games played between these two clubs, a third of them have resulted in them sharing the points. This campaign the Jets have conceded only five goals, while Adelaide are pretty close to that in only having let in seven. This should turn out to be a closely, competitive game, well worth watching.

Melbourne Victory v Brisbane Roar

Last time they met: Brisbane haven’t won up in Melbourne in nearly four years. The last time they did was on January the 4th, 2014 when they had a convincing 3-0 win at AAMI Park. However the last time these two sides met, Brisbane were bundled out of the FFA Cup with ease as the Victory won 5-1. That day Besart Berisha bagged a double while the Roar’s only goal came in the 90th minute via Skapetis. Judging by recent results this game will be lucky to produce two or three goals, little lone six.

What happened last round: A red card, a missed penalty, two goals, the Victory’s last game had it all. Mitch Austin was sent of in the 24th minute leaving Melbourne a man down for most of their match against Western Sydney. Only eight minutes later, Oriol Riera scored for the Wanderers. Then in the 45th minute, on the stroke of half time, he missed the penalty that if converted, probably would have given the Red & Black all three points. Then just into the second half Thomas Deng scored, which eventually resulted in a 1-all draw. For Brisbane their bottom of the table status was wholly justified in a 0-0 draw with fellow cellar dwellers the Mariners. It was the kind of game that was very sloppy and hard to digest. However the match was not without a bit of entertainment as both clubs were denied penalty opportunities.

What should happen: Similar to Brisbane’s game last round, a very hard to watch type of game and one that will no doubt be littered with mistakes. For the Roar they have lost Dane Ingham to international duty (NZ) as well as injury problems forcing Michael Theo (finger), Shannon Brady (foot), Daniel Bowles (knee) and Thomas Kristensen (recovery from a hamstring nerve problem) out of the match day squad. While Melbourne have players battling injury problems as well, such as influential midfielder Mark Milligan. Don’t expect much from this match.

Sunday, November 12

Wellington Phoenix v Perth Glory

Last time they met: A highly entertaining 3-all draw was the result when these two sides last met. That day their were six different scorers on the goal sheet. Each side also had five of their shots blocked. Another crazily, alike statistic from that match is that both squads also completed 74% of their passes. While both sides also received two yellow cards apiece. Given the five point gap between the two teams this season, the result could be a bit different this time around.

What happened last round: For the Phoenix they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by the Jets up in the Hunter Valley. Roy O’Donovan terrorised them as he bagged his 6th and 7th goals for the season. However had a sloppy back pass not led to one of O’Donovan’s strikes and had Wellington been more proficient in front of goal (only two shots on target from twelve attempts), the result may have been a little bit different. Perth meanwhile came away with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Adelaide. Andy Keogh was the only goalscorer with his 1st of the season. Another notable highlight from the match was Diego Castro not being able to convert from the spot within the opening five minutes of the game.

What should happen: A Perth win. Simply put, the Glory will be just to good for the Phoenix. They boast the likes of Adam Taggart in attack (three goals this campaign) and Scott Neville in defence (2.2 tackles per game). While Wellington on the other hand, have only to show for their season, a 1-all draw against Adelaide and a 2-all draw against Sydney. It’ll be close, but Perth should be able to outclass the Phoenix on their way to their third victory of the season.

Melbourne City v Western Sydney Wanderers

Last time they met: Five of the past seven matches played between these two sides have seen the winning team score either three or four goals. 3-1 was the result when they last played each other. Neil Kilkenny opened the scoring in the 3rd minute of the match, but a Santalab goal in the 22nd minute evened things up. Then two strikes in the space of four minutes to Santalab again in the second-half put the result beyond doubt. Will ‘King’ Santalab step up to the plate again or will City rebound from their first loss of the season?

What happened last round: For Melbourne they suffered their first loss of the season as they went down 1-0 to Sydney FC. All that separated the two sides was a second-half Luke Wilkshire strike. However in some positives for City, half of their shots were on target and they won more aerial duels than their opponents. However on a more worrying note, Tim Cahill went of injured after a clash with Jordy Buijs. While for their opponents this round, they drew 1-all with the Victory. They opened the scoring through Oriol Reira, the man who also missed a penalty attempt. They were also playing against ten men for most of the match after Mitch Austin was sent of for the home side in the 24th minute of the match. However Western Sydney were unable to take advantage resulting in yet another draw for the Red & Black (their 4th for the season from five matches).

What should happen: A 5th draw of the season for the Wanderers. It will be a hard proposition for Western Sydney to win this match as it will be new coach Josep Gombau’s first game in charge of the club. While City might finally have some cracks in their side after being kept to a loss and zero goals by the Sky Blues, as well as no Cahill. A draw would seem like the appropriate result for both sides.